DRUG WAR FUELS - NOT FIGHTS - CRIME

BC's hazardous methamphetamine labs are reminiscent of the deadly exploding
liquor stills that sprang up during alcohol prohibition.

Drug policies modeled after prohibition have given rise to a youth-oriented
black market. Illegal drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do recruit
minors immune to adult sentences. So much for protecting the children.

Throwing more money at the problem is no solution. Attempts to limit supply
while demand remains constant only increase the profitability of drug
trafficking. For addictive drugs like methamphetamine, a spike in street
prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed
desperate habits.

The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime.

Taxing and regulating marijuana, the most popular illicit drug, is a
cost-effective alternative to never-ending drug war. As long as marijuana
distribution remains in the hands of organized crime, consumers will
continue to come into contact with sellers of hard drugs. This "gateway" is
the direct result of a fundamentally flawed policy.

Given that marijuana is arguably safer than legal alcohol, it makes no
sense to waste tax dollars on failed policies that finance organized crime
and facilitate the use of hard drugs.

Drug policy reform may send the wrong message to children, but I like to
think the children are more important than the message.

Robert Sharpe

Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, DC